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Leading runners
Posted: Thursday November 04, 1999 03:46 PM
MenJOHN KAGWE, 30, Kenya -- The two-time defending champion, he won the 1997 race in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 12 seconds - the second-fastest in New York City Marathon history - despite having to stop and tie his shoelaces twice and running the final three miles with his laces untied. He won last year in 2:08:45, beating Joseph Chebet by three seconds. Earlier this year, Kagwe finished fifth in the Boston Marathon. This will be his fifth New York City Marathon. In 1995, he finished fifth in 2:11:42 and in 1996 he was fourth in 2:10:59, after leading for the first 25 miles. Kagwe also was leading the 1994 Twin Cities Marathon at 21 miles, before slipping to third in 2:12:25. He won the 1997 Prague Marathon in 2:09:07 and the 1995 Pittsburgh Marathon in a course record 2:10:24. Kagwe also was 16th in his marathon debut in Boston in 1994 and lowered his half-marathon best to 1:01:18 in 1997 in finishing second in Philadelphia. He lives and trains in Norristown, Pa. JOSEPH CHEBET, 29, Kenya -- Winner of the Boston Marathon in April, he will attempt to become the first man since Alberto Salazar in 1982 to win in Boston and New York in the same year. In the past two New York City Marathons, he was runner-up to Kagwe, before beating him in Boston. He has been extremely impressive in every marathon he has run. He began his marathon career by winning the 1996 Amsterdam Marathon in 2:10:00 on what is considered a slow course. He then won the 1997 Turin Marathon in 2:08:23. Chebet followed that with a second-place finish in New York in 1997 in 2:09:27, and he ran a career-best 2:07:37 in finishing second in Boston in 1998. In addition, he won a half-marathon in Luxembourg in 1997 in 1:00:53, also a career best. ZEBEDAYO BAYO, 23, Tanzania -- Bayo is considered the best marathoner from Tanzania since Juma Ikangaa, who set the New York City Marathon record of 2:08:01 in 1989. Bayo finished third in his New York debut last year, only six seconds behind Kagwe in 2:08:51. He also won the Los Angeles Marathon in 1998, and this year he was a disappointing 10th in the Paris Marathon. Bayo also ran a sparkling 1:00:26 for third in the Lisbon Half-Marathon last year. COSMAS NDETI, 27, Kenya -- He dominated the Boston Marathon from 1993-95, winning each year, including a course record 2:07:15 in 1994. Only two others - Clarence DeMar and Bill Rodgers - have won the Boston Marathon at least three straight times. His quest for a fourth victory in a row ended in 1996, when he finished third. This is his second New York appearance, having finished sixth in 1996. He also was sixth in the 1997 Fukuoka Marathon. MARTIN FIZ, 36, Spain -- He set the tone for Spain's recent success in the marathon by winning the 1994 European championship and the 1995 World Championship. Shortly before the '95 worlds, Fiz won the Rotterdam Marathon in a swift 2:08:57. In 1996, he won the Dong-A Marathon in South Korea in 2:08:25. He lowered his time again the following year in winning the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan in 2:08:05, a race he won again this year in 2:09:33. Fiz finished seventh in the 1996 New York City Marathon and was eighth at this year's World Championships. GERMAN SILVA, 31, Mexico -- The popular New York City Marathon winner in 1994 and 1995 was not expected to run the race at full speed this time because of a recent injury. Still, his presence will lend a lot to the race, since the spectators recognize him easily and will cheer him along the entire route. His victory five years ago was one of the most memorable in race history. With just over a half-mile left, he made a wrong turn. Then, steered in the right direction by a police officer, he rallied to overcome countryman Benjamin Paredes. Silva also finished fifth in New York in 1997 and fourth last year. In April, he ran a career-best 2:08:58 in placing sixth in Boston. GIACOME LEONE, 28, Italy -- He was the surprise winner in New York in 1996, clocking 2:09:54, and the first Italian winner of the race sine Gianni Poli in 1986. Leone then set a career-best of 2:09:07 in finishing seventh at the 1997 Rotterdam Marathon. He also was seventh at the 1997 World Championships, fourth at the 1998 Tokyo International Marathon and sixth in this year's London Marathon. DOMINGOS CASTRO, 35, Portugal -- After finishing a bitterly disappointing fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 1988 Olympics - he was passed by two Germans in the final few meters - Castro became a marathoner. He won the Paris Marathon in 1995 and the Rotterdam Marathon in 1997 with a career-best 2:07:51. In his only appearance in the New York City Marathon, he finished sixth in 1997. This year, he was eighth in the London Marathon. He was the silver medalist in the 5,000 at the 1987 World Championships and the 1994 European Cross Country Championships. ABDELKHADER MOUAZIZ, 30, Morocco -- He made a huge breakthrough earlier this year, winning the London Marathon in a career-best 2:07:57, missing the course record by only two seconds, after having won the Marrakech Marathon for the third time in 2:08:15. Mouaziz has had an impressive career. He also won in Marrakech in 1996 and 1997, finished second in the 1998 London Marathon in 2:08:07 and was fourth in the 1997 New York City Marathon in 2:10:04. He missed last year's New York City race because of Achilles' tendinitis. PHILIP TARUS, 25, Kenya -- One of the most promising young marathoners, Tarus won the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego in May by more than two minutes in a course-record 2:08:33. He also won that race in its debut last year. In a half-marathon this year, he beat Morocco's Khalid Khannouchi, the world record-holder in the marathon. ELIJAH LAGAT, 33, Kenya -- He is making his New York City Marathon debut. His best marathon performance and best time came in winning the 1997 Berlin Marathon in 2:07:41. His only other major marathon title came in Prague last year, where he won in 2:08:52. He also finished fifth in the 1999 Paris Marathon (2:08:52), 10th in the 1998 Chicago Marathon (2:10:33) and second in the 1997 Turin Marathon (2:09:19). Lagat also has a half-marathon best of 1:00:51. SIMON BIWOTT, 29, Kenya -- Like Lagat, his best time is 2:07:41, but it wasn't in a victory. It came during a fourth-place finish in this year's Rotterdam Marathon. He has won the 1998 Cancun International Marathon and the 1998 Mexico City Marathon. This year, he has victories in the Kenya Half-Marathon and the Monterrey Half-Marathon.
WOMENFRANCA FIACCONI, 34, Italy -- An exceptionally strong marathoner, Fiacconi became the first Italian to win the women's division of the New York City Marathon, capturing last year's race with a personal-best 2:25:17. She also displayed her strength in New York in the previous two years. In 1996, she finished second in 2:28:42, three weeks after running in another marathon. In 1997, she was third in 2:30:15, her third marathon in 55 days. Before the 1997 New York race, she finished 13th at the World Championships and was second at a marathon in Carpi, Italy, in 2:28:51. Three years ago, she won the Turin Marathon in 2:29:18. She also won in Turin last year in 2:30:21, in Rome in 2:28:12 and finished fourth at the European Championships in 2:28:59. This year, she won the Prague Marathon by five minutes in 2:28:33. ANUTA CATUNA, 31, Romania -- The surprise winner of the 1996 New York City Marathon in 2:28:18, she returned in 1997 and finished fourth. She also was fourth in 1994 and did not finish last year. This year, Catuna ran her fastest marathon, finishing third in 2:27:34 in Boston. She moved among the elite marathoners in 1995 by winning the World Cup Marathon in 2:31:10 and finishing second at the World Championships. In 1997, she was 11th at the World Championships, a major improvement over her 44th-place finish at the 1996 Olympics. She has two bronze medals from the World Half-Marathon, placing third in 1994 and 1995. CATHERINE NDEREBA, 27, Kenya -- A sensation this year on the roads at shorter distances, Ndereba will be competing in only her second marathon. In her debut, she finished sixth this year in Boston in an impressive 2:28:27. Her victories on the road include the Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco, the Broad Street 10-Mile in Philadelphia with a course-record 53:07, the Philadelphia Distance half-marathon and the Utica Boilermaker 15K with a course-record 48:52. In August alone, she won the Bix 7-Mile in Iowa, the Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine, and had her third career victories in the Crim 10-Mile in Michigan and the Falmouth Road 7-Mile in Massachusetts. She was Runner's World Magazine's female Runner of the Year in 1996 and 1998. She took time off in 1997 to have a baby. ADRIANA FERNANDEZ, 28, Mexico -- She has come close to winning in her last two marathons. She finished second in last year's New York City Marathon in 2:26:33 and was runner-up at this year's London Marathon in a career-best 2:24:06, making her the fastest woman in the New York field. Last year, Fernandez led for 21 miles before finishing seventh in the London Marathon, and in 1996, she won the Houston Marathon. This year, she won her second straight title at 5,000 meters in the Pan American Games. KATRIN DORRE-HEINIG, 38, Germany -- One of the world's most proficient marathoners for many years, she will be making a rare appearance in New York. The last time she competed in New York was in 1990, when she finished third. Overall, she has run more world-class marathons than any other woman. Amazingly, she is running faster than ever. This year, she set a course-record and personal-best of 2:24:35 in winning the Shell Marathon in Hamburg. The time is the fastest ever for a woman over 35, breaking the mark of 2:25:21 by Dorre-Heinig in winning at Hamburg last year. Dorre-Heinig had an amazing streak of 10 straight marathon victories from 1982-86. During the '90s, she has won marathons in Osaka in 1991 and 1996, in London in 1992 and 1994, in Berlin in 1994, and in Frankfurt in 1995. She also finished fifth in the 1992 Olympics and fourth in 1996.
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